Children all around the globe spend the month of October planning their costumes and partaking in fun and scary activities! Pumpkin carving, horror movies, and haunted houses are all a part of the thrill during the spooky season. The suspense is brewing as the most anticipated night of the fall approaches: Halloween. But with that comes the debate of how teenagers should spend it.
Most children partake in trick or treating, strutting in costumes of their favorite characters. However, it is not often discussed how kids may become disinterested in the act as they grow older. When one reaches high school, the influence of peers and adults may cloud their desire to participate in the annual celebration, whether out of embarrassment or simply a loss of interest. Senior Emma Ikner communicated, “I think at some point in high school you should stop. I stopped trick-or-treating last year. I’d rather do something else now instead.”
On the other hand, some teenagers embrace trick or treating as a tactic to relive their childhoods, a pattern that has become very apparent among Generation Z(Gen Z). Sophomore Lily Peterson expressed, “I think you should trick or treat forever, or at least until college.” However, despite both perspectives, there has been a noticeable difference in the number of trick-or-treaters.
The lack of trick-or-treaters may be due to Trunk or Treat, a trend that has become overwhelmingly popular in many households. The latest Halloween phenomenon conjures locals to a designated area, typically a parking lot, where people pop their trunks open and pass out candy to children. Many trick-or-treaters have found more fun in this trend as it’s more convenient. Promotion for this event can be seen all around the outside of school, for one taking place in the nearby student parking lot of PPCHS. For the past few years, the hype surrounding Trunk or Treat has overtaken the annual Halloween celebration.
However, another explanation for the lack of participation could be due to a recurring theme apparent within many family dynamics. It appears that teenagers are typically discouraged by their parents to participate in trick or treating out of fear that the activity will prevent maturity growth and develop childish qualities in teenagers.
However, a large contributor to the deficiency of trick-or-treaters is partying. It’s no secret that some teens endure alcohol and drug abuse on Halloween night. The consumption of substances may put teens in dangerous situations such as driving under the influence, assault, vandalism, and more. Statistics prove that 44% of national fatal crashes occur during Halloween night by individuals with a BAC of 0.08 or more, which is the threshold for being overly intoxicated.
Additionally, there is also a haze of fear covering this popular holiday, straying trick-or-treaters away from it. There is much stigma surrounding the fear and threats of drugs or sharp blades in candy. Every year, rainbow fentanyl is rumored to be discreetly placed in treats. Junior Amariah Ayum commented, “I feel like it’s so inhuman to put fentanyl inside a candy bar for children. They are just trying to have fun.” With that, the harmful, and even deadly substance has possibly deterred parents from encouraging their teenagers to participate on October 31st.
How old is too old to trick or treat? Is it when you’re a toddler, teenager, adult, or elderly? The question is debatable, but in reality, there is no legal age limit, so why not participate?
